Eva Longoria's speech at the Democratic National Convention, a focus on education

Charlotte, North Carolina-- Eva Longoria, Co-chair of President Obama's Re-election Campaign, took the stage just before 8:20 on the final night of the Democratic National Convention.

Longoria's speech focused on the importance of education in the U.S., and the opportunities she feels can come from attending college and earning a degree.

She told the audience, and those tuning in nationwide, how she grew up in Corpus Christie, TX, in a family that felt education was the "cardinal priority" for her and her three sisters.

Her mom worked as a teacher and her dad on an army base, and the family "did whatever it took" to put her through school because "college was not an option," Longoria explained.

"I signed up for financial aid, pell grants, work study, anything I could, and just like our president and first lady, I took out loans to pay for school," said Longoria.

She told the crowd how she worked multiple jobs, from working on cars to flipping burgers, to pay back those student loans.

"We're lucky that our president understands the value of American opportunity, because he's lived it, and he's fighting to help others achieve it," she said. "He's fighting to make college more affordable; he's cut taxes for every working American; he's helping small businesses get loans, and has cut their taxes 18 times."

The importance of aiding small businesses, she said, is that they create "two out of every three new jobs in America," which "drive America's economy...not Mitt Romney's outsourcing pioneers."

Longoria said Romney's plan involves a tax increase for the middle class, and a decrease of his, and her own taxes.

"The Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy's flipping burgers- she needed a tax break. But the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not," she said.

Longoria talked more about the American dream, and Obama's fight for "growing the economy from the middle out."

"Jobs, education, health reform, the Dream Act, equal pay for women- President Obama is moving us forward with opportunity today for prosperity tomorrow."

Just before Longoria waved goodbye, she ended her speech, "Let's fight for the American Dream! Let's re-elect President Obama. Sí, se puede," she said.